Bob Welch and the disappearance of Mystery to Me and Heroes are Hard to Find...

[jjfabbsy]

Originally Posted by TheGreenBlues

I never knew that (I don't use iTunes). Let's hope as mentioned the newly released Then Play On shows the record companies that there is a market for this era and it gets on iTunes at least.

I don't understand how anything can remain out of print, particularly in this digital age with Itunes etc. It's just asking for piracy. Surely the record company can just make it available online (or via HDTracks *hint hint*), and if no-one buys it - oh well, at least they didn't print 1,000,000 CD's.

I was also shocked when I couldn't find any of the Welch era FM on Spotify, although Bob's solo work is well represented.

Would love to see a remaster of Mystery to Me as I find I am listening to that album more than any other lately.

I'll never forget the pleasant surprise when I bought the vinyl many years ago, just on a whim because I was wanting to complete my FM discography - it ended up hooking me from the start, and I feel "Why" is one of the best FM songs ever.

[applebucked]

If I had a freakin' turntable, I would have bought vinyls of those too.

[michelej1]

Radio IO, Reprise Records October 2013

http://www.radioio.com/2013/10/40-ye...mystery-to-me/

40 Years Ago: Fleetwood Mac Release ‘Mystery to Me’

By the start of 1973, Fleetwood Mac were in a state of flux, trying to find solid footing and an identity for the band. The recent departure of longtime guitarist Danny Kirwin led to a fluctuating lineup, with the addition of guitarists Bob Weston and Bob Welch, as well as Dave Walker, who would supply some of the vocals on Mac’s first 1973 offering, ‘Penguin.’ But the overstuffed lineup didn’t last long, and by the time sessions started for their next album, ‘Mystery to Me,’ Walker was gone, and Welch had settled into his role as frontman.

Fleetwood Mac were somewhat out of step in their homeland in 1973. A landscape of glam and prog made little room for the group’s more homespun sound. But in the U.S., things were starting to look up for the band: ‘Penguin’ hit the charts, and people began showing up at their shows.

That summer, the band started work on a new album and once again called upon producer Martin Birch for assistance. “‘Mystery to Me’ was probably the best Fleetwood Mac album since Peter Green had left the band three years earlier,” Mick Fleetwood wrote in his 1990 autobiography, ‘Fleetwood: My Life and Adventures in Fleetwood Mac.’ “It was atmospheric and intelligent, and we knew it was going to be a big hit.”

It was also the album that finally opened the door to radio play for the band in the U.S. “We sensed we were on the verge of a breakthrough and had another real shot at the Big Time in the U.S.A.,” Fleetwood wrote. ‘Mystery to Me’ cracked the Top 70 and eventually went gold.

Most of the songs on the album were written by Welch, with only a handful penned by Christine McVie. But they rank among her all-time best. ‘Mystery to Me’ kicks off with ‘Emerald Eyes,’ which features what would become Mac trademarks, like radio-friendly production, clean vocals and tasteful guitar work, while McVie’s ‘Believe Me’ and ‘Just Crazy Love’ could have come from the band’s first two hit records with Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

But it’s Welch’s ‘Hypnotized’ that caught fans’ ears. Originally written as a raw blues, but later rearranged as a dreamlike pop song, the cut’s shuffling rhythm and smooth guitars are hard to resist. It not only netted the band some well-deserved FM airplay, the song remained in Mac’s live sets after Welch left. “I was reading about, as the lyric says, ‘a place down in Mexico where man can fly over mountains and hills,’” Welch is quoted in Fleetwood’s book. “One night I had a vivid dream that a UFO piloted by a Navajo shaman landed on out overgrown grass tennis court one moonlit night. That was the feeling that went into ‘Hypnotized’.”

Other LP highlights include the Welch-penned but McVie-sung ‘Keep on Going,’ and ‘Miles Away,’ a grooving Welch rocker. A cover of the Yardbirds hit ’For Your Love’ was a late addition to the album, but it’s given enough of a Mac stamp to fit onto ‘Mystery to Me.’ McVie’s ‘Why’ ends the album on a haunting and beautiful note, with some fine slide-guitar work by Weston, who would soon be ousted from the band because of his extracurricular activities with Fleetwood’s wife. And you thought the group’s internal drama started when Buckingham and Nicks joined?

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by michelej1

...Danny Kirwin...

ACK!! I hate it when major publications can't spell. K-I-R-W-A-N!!!!

Originally Posted by becca

I've known big companies to drop or bury things like a hot potato at the slightest hint of legal trouble or simply anyone being offended. I am however hoping it is the remastered editions coming scenario following the new editions of Then Play On through to Bare Trees!

I remember ordering Penguin and Heroes CDs from (West) Germany when they were hard to find in America. But really, Mac fans have nothing on Badfinger fans who saw Warner LPs pulled from sale right after release and then unavailable in any form for decades.

If my chronology is correct, wasn't the Fleetwood Mac's initial back catalogue CD releases happening while Bob's royalty lawsuit was in process? That's probably why Penguin & Mystery To Me were held up being released until that was settled. Those MAY have been the two albums of royalty payments that Bob was disputing, since Future Games, Bare Trees, & Heroes Are Hard To Find were released with the rest. Since Germany wasn't covered by the US/UK copyright laws, they were able to release those two on CD way ahead of time.

Becca, I think Pete Ham's suicide was a major factor in Warner Bros deleting those 2 Badfinger LPs...especially the Wish You Were Here album. (that and their own lofty expectations of record sales caused them to over-manufacture the number of albums, necessitating them to cut their losses by selling unsold units to rack-jobbers (being why in just a few weeks after release, those Badfinger albums, despite both being great musically, ended up in cut-out bins in record stores). Plus, it didn't help that both WB & Apple released Badfinger albums (WB with the self-titled album; Apple with the Ass album) within just days of each other.

[becca]

Have seen Danny Kirwin and Bob Welsh in print more than once.

Interesting thoughts about the final three Bob/FM albums on CD back then. Makes sense.

What happened with the Badfinger WB albums was before Pete Ham was dead. Their U.S. guy who negotiated the WB deal took all the money meant to be in escrow after starting some kind of corporation named Badfinger Inc. This somehow forced WB to sue the band adding to their stress on top of not seeing money their U.S. manager promised. Plus there were Apple royalties all in escrow as well they couldn't touch if they even knew it was there. WB pulled the Wish You Were Here LP fairly shortly after release. Despite that the group began recording a third WB album to help fix things (minus a rightly disgruntled Joey Molland who saw no light ever coming). That third album was finally released as Head First and is excellent. It is the worst story I've ever heard about the music biz.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by chiliD

If my chronology is correct, wasn't the Fleetwood Mac's initial back catalogue CD releases happening while Bob's royalty lawsuit was in process?

I thought it was about two or more years prior. I thought Bob said everything came to a head with the box set, which came out two years after MTM's rerelease.

I got my first CD (white FM) on 12/31/1989, and all but Penguin and Mystery were out from the WB days.

[Wendy Welch]

There are no lawsuits since Bob's death, no fights over royalties, pulishing or otherwise, and no reason for Bob to be deleted from anything FM. I don't know what the band thinks they are doing.

[Wendy Welch]

There have been no conflicts with Bob Welch or any members of FM prior to 2000.
So what gives. The label should be putting out his albums. Request them from Warner Brothers/Reprise if you want them released. They could have made a lot more money since Bob's death, unless Chris, John and Mick prevented them from being released. I know that Rhino wanted to do a Tribute album to Bob Welch and couldn't get permission from the other three members last fall. So take it for what it's worth. Rhino and I even had all the song titles selected for the album, when they could't get an approval from Warners and the three band members.

[Wendy Welch]

The only answer I can give you is that FM is trying to delete and break "The Chain" of the band between the years 1971 and 1975 as if it never existed You can go on all of their sites and look at the discography ob "Fleetwood Mac News" on Facebook and it is as if these years never existed and as if Bob Welch never existed. They may not like me, but Bob Welch gave his heart and soul to that band and they have treated him horrendously. He cared so much that his music would live on and about his legacy and the band members that he loved and gave so much to left him out of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 15 years ago. Ask them on their sites why, even though they said "Bob saved Fleetwood Mac" and there never would have been a Stevie or Lindsey had he not moved them to LA, they don't still consider him an honorable band member and have deleted him from his rightful place in the band and have removed his musical legacy and history from the band. Please help Bob to fight for what's his due!

[becca]

Originally Posted by Wendy Welch

I know that Rhino wanted to do a Tribute album to Bob Welch and couldn't get permission from the other three members last fall. So take it for what it's worth. Rhino and I even had all the song titles selected for the album, when they could't get an approval from Warners and the three band members.

That's very disappointing.

I know of another case where that initially happened to Rhino over something originally on the Reprise label, but that was sorted out after awhile. The only legitimate reason would be if they were planning to rerelease something themself and that couldn't be true here. This info really does show someone is vengeful to me.

If Bob did something in a state of needing funds badly years ago and someone took offense they need to get over that. Maybe it would help to say there are studies that prove the brain physically changes under prolonged stress or pain, but I don't know. Even if there were no plans to include Bob in the hall of fame honor whatever happened to taking a step of 'generosity' for one's own good and soul? I did mail a letter to the hall a few months ago as one of those few things a mere fan can do, but I guess it's true someone from the group needs to become a bigger person... a.s.a.p.

It's possible non-music centric magazines could have an interest in an article on this situation. I know Rolling Stone would be unlikely rock any industry boats, possibly annoy your biggest advertisers? That's not going to happen.

[Wendy Welch]

Bob Welch never did anything in a state of needing money. Let's get that straight right now. Don't know where that came from! And he definitely never did anything under stress or pain! By the way, Bob had never been suicidal. The drug lyrica murdered him as far as I am concerned. He had had neck surgery 3 months prior and was given Lyrica exactly 6 weeks before the suicide and left me a 9 page love letter that showed what that drug had done to his mind. There were 3 class action suits against that drug for loved ones who committed suicide after taking it. They all had to be dropped and done as individuals a month before Bob died. We were not told of any of the warnings that we should have been told by law from the doctor, the pharmacist enclosure, or anyting else. I found out about this 10 days after his death from a pharmacist about how bad that drug can be. It helps some, but kills many. <3 Broke my heart.

But thank you so much for the rest of your caring post.

[jwd]

Wendy,

There are so many Fleetwood Mac fans that love Bob and the music that he helped create in those years. Some of my most favorite FM songs come from that time. He will never be forgotten.

I loved "His Fleetwood Mac Years & Beyond" collection, signed by the man himself. One of my favorites from it is "Like Rain". He and his music will always be a part of FM. No one can ever take that away from him or the fans that adore him.

I feel like you are grieving still and I wish you peace.

[chriskisn]

Sadly it isn't just Bob that FM wants to write out of their history. They'd also like us to forget Dave Walker, Bob Weston, Dave Mason, Bekka Bramlett and perhaps to a lesser extent Billy Burnette and Rick Vito.

Interestingly enough none of them made it to the RRHOF either.

Bob Welch and perhaps also Billy Burnette were the most glaring omissions, but I've said it before and I'll say it again and again, every single of of them should have been inducted.

[wetcamelfood]

Originally Posted by chriskisn

Sadly it isn't just Bob that FM wants to write out of their history. They'd also like us to forget Dave Walker, Bob Weston, Dave Mason, Bekka Bramlett and perhaps to a lesser extent Billy Burnette and Rick Vito.

Interestingly enough none of them made it to the RRHOF either.

Bob Welch and perhaps also Billy Burnette were the most glaring omissions, but I've said it before and I'll say it again and again, every single of of them should have been inducted.

Yeah well Mason was inducted with Traffic anyway so not sure what they thought they were saving there.

John

[becca]

Originally Posted by Wendy Welch

Bob Welch never did anything in a state of needing money. Let's get that straight right now.

Apologies Wendy, I was projecting (and offering guesses) based on my experiences that helped some people in another situation. I did know a musician who after yet another failed spine operation made a decision to end the pain, and some people were very angry with him and there was fighting between people who saw things very differently.



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